Praying in the shadow of the US Capitol

On a perfect summer evening, in the light of a full “super” moon, with the US Capitol as a background, I joined hundreds of men, women and children to pray for protection of our religious freedom.  At this event, hosted by the Knight s of Columbus, we lifted our hearts and minds to God ask we asked Him to protect the rights of Christians.

               A couple of hundred faithful individuals, coming from Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia gathered to pray Compline, the night prayer of the church, lead by Dominican Brothers studying at the Dominican House of Studies.  Baltimore Archbishop William from Baltimore who leads  the USCCB’s  Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty spoke a few words and led us in the prayer by St. Thomas More and the prayer for Religious Freedom (both found at the bottom of this post).

               The words of both St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More were read and religious and lay people lead the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary.  The hundreds who attended, ranging from infants to septuagenarian, held LED tea light candles.  The Dome of the U.S.  Capitol was a beautiful back drop of the event.  One participant commented, “Who wouldn’t want to pray for religious liberty on the lawn of the Capitol?”

               This is one of hundreds events that will be held during the Fortnight for Freedom.  The final event will be a mass to be held at the Basilica of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Northeast DC on July 4^th.

 

Prayer by St. Thomas More written while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London

Give me the grace, Good Lord
To set the world at naught. To set the mind firmly on You and not to hang upon the words of men's mouths.
To be content to be solitary. Not to long for worldly pleasures. Little by little utterly to cast off the world and rid my mind of all its business. Not to long to hear of earthly things, but that the hearing of worldly fancies may be displeasing to me. Gladly to be thinking of God, piteously to call for His help. To lean into the comfort of God. Busily to labor to love Him.


To know my own vileness and wretchedness. To humble myself under the mighty hand of God. To bewail my sins and, for the purging of them, patiently to suffer adversity. Gladly to bear my purgatory here. To be joyful in tribulations. To walk the narrow way that leads to life. To have the last thing in remembrance. To have ever before my eyes my death that is ever at hand. To make death no stranger to me. To foresee and consider the everlasting fire of Hell. To pray for pardon before the judge comes. To have continually in mind the passion that Christ suffered for me. For His benefits unceasingly to give Him thanks.


To buy the time again that I have lost. To abstain from vain conversations. To shun foolish mirth and gladness. To cut off unnecessary recreations. Of worldly substance, friends, liberty, life and all, to set the loss at naught, for the winning of Christ. To think my worst enemies my best friends, for the brethren of Joseph could never have done him so much good with their love and favor as they did him with their malice and hatred. These minds are more to be desired of every man than all the treasures of all the princes and kings, Christian and heathen, were it gathered and laid together all in one heap. Amen

Prayer for Religious Liberty

O GOD OUR CREATOR, from your provident hand we have received our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  You have called us as your people and given us the right and the duty to worship you, the only true God, and your Son, Jesus Christ.

Through the power and working of your Holy Spirit, you call us to live out our faith in the midst of the world, bringing the light and the saving truth of the Gospel to every corner of society. We ask you to bless us in our vigilance for the gift of religious liberty.

Give us the strength of mind and heart to readily defend our freedoms when they are threatened;

give us courage in making our voices heard on behalf of the rights of your Church and the freedom of conscience of all people of faith. Grant, we pray, O heavenly Father, a clear and united voice to all your sons and daughters gathered in your Church in this decisive hour in the history of our nation, so that, with every trial withstood and every danger overcome—for the sake of our children, our grandchildren,

and all who come after us—this great land will always be “one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen

The Forenight for Freedom has ended -now what?

                I attended the Closing Mass for the American Catholic Bishop’s Fortnight for Freedom at the National Shrine on July 4th.  With over 3000 of the faithful, hundreds of religious women and men, concelebrated by more than 100 priests and five bishops, the Papal Nuncio and a Cardinal, it was a beautiful celebration of our faith.

                Those in attendance wove the exquisite tapestry that is the American Church.  Young and old, diverse ethnicities, those born in the United States and those who have emigrated from other nations were all celebrating Eucharist in this final mass of the Fortnight.  I thought how wonderful the beautiful singing and strong responses during the Mass must have sounded in Heaven!

               

  Archbishop of Philadelphia Charles Chaput was the Homilist.  He preached primarily on Matthew 22, what to render unto Cesar and what to render unto God.  He made the thought provoking comment that “we belong to God and only to God”.  Therefore if we render to God what is His, we must give ourselves – all of ourselves.

               

  He spoke about freedom and how seeking His kingdom first makes us free.  When we let go of earthly things that are supposed to make us happy and live for Him first, we become free.  There is much to consider in his remarks and much for me to pray about over the next days and months.

                

The recessional song was America the Beautiful. The final verse ended with celebrants still walking down the aisle.  The crowd cheered the Bishops as they left the altar.  The smiles on their faces were priceless!

                

As the music concluded, the woman sitting next to me looked me in the eyes and said, “And now we need to go out and witness.”  Simply and wisely said.  It’s now in our hands - those of we the people - to go and speak to our neighbors, co-workers, fellow parishioners to help them understand why this fight for religious freedom is vital.

Why

The decision by the Supreme Court on Thursday surprised many faithful Catholics.  One of my colleagues at a client came in saying, “God help America.”   My initial reaction was one of dismay, and then I said to a friend, “Well, we haven’t geared up for nothing.” 

While the Bishops and our priests have been distributing good messages of religious freedom, I don’t believe it has even begun to resonate in the pews.  Evidence of that is the showing of the rather paltry 2,000 people for the rally for Religious Freedom in DC last weekend.  The space would have held 4,000 and the Archdiocese communications department was almost pleading for people to come.  If the message of religious freedom was resonating in the pews, the tickets should have been long gone before June 24^th. 

It is my thought that if the Supreme Court decision had nullified the Health Care Bill, we would have gone back to our regular life, not being pressed to defend our religious freedom.  The second reading in today’s Office of Readings is from a homily by Pope Paul IV.  For me, the entire portion of the letter rings true to what we, as American Catholic’s, are being asked to do.   The first paragraph of the text is as follows:

“Not to preach the Gospel would be my undoing, for Christ himself sent me as his apostle and witness. The more remote, the more difficult the assignment, the more my love of God spurs me on.  I am bound to proclaim that Jesus is Christ, the Son of the living God.  Because of him we come to know the God we cannot see.  He is the firstborn of all creation; in him all things find their being.  Man’s teacher and redeemer, he was born for us, died for us and for us he rose from the dead.”

“The more remote, the more difficult the assignment, the more my love of God spurs me on,” is the phrase that got my attention.  So we have a more difficult assignment that we originally thought.  Perhaps this gives us the time to help our friends and neighbors in the pews truly understand the need for defending our freedom as we are spurred on by the love of God!

Why is the American flag hanging on a church?

I didn’t think about it when I got up this morning, but I am wearing white and blue today.  Too bad that I did not reach for a red sweater while getting dressed!  This is the first day of the Fortnight for Freedom.  As an average woman in the pews, I don’t know that I have the ability to effectively speak about the issues that have brought about this Fortnight.  I wonder how I will participate and how these two weeks might change me and my relationship with Jesus.

               

Last night I attended a panel discussion at the Catholic Information Center in DC.  Three articulate women in their 30’s and 40’s traced the timeline and the events that created this need for a national time of prayer for our freedom.  For me, the issue that resonates most is that a person of Catholic faith can’t be Catholic if it is a personal religion.  If Mass doesn’t change me and if I am not able or willing to go take Jesus with me into my everyday life, then I’m not leading a Catholic life.

               

One interesting thought is that, with the government definition of what constitutes a religious institution, Jesus, who reached out to all around him, would not have qualified.  As a convert, one of the things I find most rewarding being a Catholic is the combination of faith and works.  We do reach out to all who have a need, whether it be food and shelter, healthcare, education or other needs.  It is in the Catholic DNA to extend compassion and love and assistance.

                

As I walked to the mail box this morning at work, I saw a huge American flag hanging on the tower of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.  Perhaps many who drive by it on Michigan Avenue today will wonder why the flag is flying on a church.  For me, it is a reminder that these next 14 days are not just ordinary days.  We believe that prayer, study, catechesis and public action will make a difference in the battle for the right to not violate our conscious and will also make a difference in our own lives and how we interact with others.